You’re sitting back relaxing on your flight from the US down to New Zealand when all of a sudden you realize you forgot to book your hotel. Ah crap. Or let’s say you and your geographically ignorant friends are flying from NZ to Vancouver and you’re debating whether Toronto or Montreal is the capital of the country. How do you settle the bet (and find out that you’re both wrong)?

Say hello to Air New Zealand’s onboard concierge service, a “walking Wikipedia,” if you will. They’ve decided to put someone on each long haul flight to help you with all your problems. (Um, maybe not ALL of them.) And that’s why they get the Gold Star today.

This concierge will be an additional crew member that will have no duties other than helping customers with whatever they need. Now admittedly, many of those questions could easily be answered with an internet connection, so is this just a stopgap measure to achieve the same thing until onboard internet becomes a reality or is there more here? I spoke with Ed Sims, Group General Manager International Airline for Air New Zealand, and he had more details.

Cranky: Practically, how will someone flag this person down onboard? Do you just ring your call button or ask a flight attendant? Or, will there a set location where you can go to find this person?

Ed: We see the IAC [concierge] moving between cabins, with a combination of pre set times to talk to individuals with longer questions like itinerary planning and simply being flagged by passengers with quicker queries ie food and beverage info. I would also envisage key times like top of descent where the IAC and FSM [Flight Service Manager] would work together on [announcements] with onward flight connections and timings. We haven’t designated a meeting area but could easily do so on the the 747 ..and possibly make better use of the galley on the 777. In the near future we would like to see an option on pre order IFE (as per the Virgin America system) where you could book IAC time.

Cranky: Will people in Coach have the same level of access as people in the premium cabins?

Ed: Yes absolutely ..I see the IAC spending most of their time in Economy, making more of a special event for these cabins.

Cranky: How will the person help rebook people during irregular ops? Will they just hop behind a podium and help the existing agents or will they get things done on their own and bring it back to the customer when it’s finished?

Ed: Probably both. The key aspect is that the IAC will not be tied to the flight (or crew) on which they arrived - they will stay with disrupted passengers to work with airport staff to ensure onward travel arrangements. If they miss the next flight due to the nature of these disrupts, they will have to connect with our next service. In the ideal situation they will brief the ground agent with requirements from their flight and return to passengers with confirmed arrangements. We have a rebooking system called Passenger Reaccomodation Management (PRM) which sends an automatic ACARs from the plane to the ground to reselect customers by class for rebookings - and I see the IAC overseeing and communicating this process one on one with disrupted
customers

Cranky: When will the person begin helping people? Will he/she show up at the gate 1 hour prior to departure and work until after everyone has left? What about crew rest issues. Will they only be available for certain parts of the flight?

Ed: Just as our Flight Service Manager (FSM) enters the lounge an hour prior to meet/greet HVCs, we see the IAC at the gate an hour prior, letting people know who they are and what they can do in flight. We are working on an informal variation on the Uniform so they can be recognisable from check in. They will need to take Crew rest during the flight..working mostly 12
hour sectors, there will be times when passenger demands will be lower and this is something we will need to experiment with by route and flight times.

Cranky: Is this a union job that will have strict job guidelines or will it be more of a general, “do everything you can to help” type of job?

Ed: We have scoped the job on an Individual Employment Agreement and the spec will be more “do whatever it takes”..I am not unhappy about the fact that we have already started the discussion on potential collectivisation but that will be more about membership and affiliation than changes to the scope of the role - it will be up to the successful candidates as to whether they would feel happier in a collective.

It sounds like a great program, but one big question remained. What sort of ability will this person have to actually get things done. Would it be more of a “I’m here to give you options” type of position or is it more of a “I can do it for you” position? That makes a big difference, so I asked Ed a followup question.

His response? At first, it will be more limited in scope. He says that the concierge will have access to ACARS, so he/she can radio ahead to get information like connecting gates, etc. And more importantly, the IAC will be able to radio ahead to take care of possible misconnections and other travel problems that require rebooking. But when it comes to actually making someone a hotel reservation, That’s further down the line. He says that he sees it “being used more as a customer service and for peace of mind, rather than to make bookings” at this point, but that doesn’t mean things won’t change down the line.

So there you have it. The concierge can be considered peace of mind, and for a lot of travelers, I think that’s important. I suppose ANZ doesn’t run into the same delay/cancellation problems on their international routes as, say, a domestic US airline flying to JFK does, but it has to happen sometimes. And it’s nice to know that when it does happen, someone will be there to help.

Of course, the extra crew member costs money, so can they really justify it as a service enhancement that will increase revenue? It’s hard to say, but there are potentially other opportunities here to partner with local accommodations and tourist attractions to generate revenue through recommendations. Of course, I’d be very wary about that, but if it’s what it takes to justify paying the extra crewmember, then I think it would be worth it with restrictions.

Most importantly, I agree that’s it a “peace of mind” type of thing. I like knowing that if there’s a problem, then I can ask the concierge to help regardless of where I am in the flight. More importantly, I know that the person will ACTUALLY help me. It’s interesting that most airlines have focused on improving revenue by adding physical improvements like inflight entertainment and better seats. ANZ has certainly done that, but now they’re really angling for the next step - improving service levels as well.

I know it must be hard to justify this extra expense, but I truly hope they can find a way to have this work out. Increases in service levels are all-too-rare these days. I know travelers are often looking for the cheapest fare, but then you can’t really turn around and complain about service. Vote with your wallet and start supporting carriers that have enhanced service levels like this. Maybe it will convince other airlines that it’s actually the way to go.

American announced yesterday that they’ll being offering a hybrid price/schedule search on the website that looks quite similar to what we’ve already seen at Southwest, Air Canada, Alaska, and Hawaiian. Though it’s not live yet (and there is no announced date), they’ve put up a demo on the website that shows what it will look like.

This is the first true legacy carrier in the US to start displaying fares in categories. Southwest has done this for as long as I can remember, but they’ve never differentiated the actual product received by people who buy in different categories.

Air Canada was really the first to begin “productizing” their fares. In other words, you receive a different onboard product, different number of miles, and different levels of fees, etc. depending upon what type of fare you buy. American hasn’t announced they’ll be moving to this type of model, but I have to think that it’s likely the main driver for an enhancement like this.

That’s a good thing for everyone involved, and it’s why I’ve given them a gold star for the effort. It’s sort of a gold star-in-waiting so we can see what they actually do with this technology, but I have high hopes.

Why is this a good thing? As airline continue to feel downward pricing pressure (look at how much a flight cost 20 years ago, you’ll be surprised how much it was), they’ve had to adapt to charging for every little additional thing. Most people don’t like this, but then again, most people aren’t willing to pay more in their base fare either.

The problem is that the airlines don’t have the ability to really upsell you, so even if you would pay more, you aren’t given the option. For example, let’s say American’s lowest fare class has no frequent flier miles, no meal, and a $100 change fee. The next fare class up may cost $50 more but it includes miles, a meal, and a $50 change fee. Is it worth it? To some, it might be. In the current set up, there’s no way for American to try to push that option to the customer. This new functionality allows them to do that.

This gives the airline an opportunity to earn more money at the time of sale instead of nickel-and-diming throughout the travel experience, and it gives the customer more options when they’re purchasing flights. Again, this hasn’t actually happened for American yet, but the new booking interface is the first and most crucial step in making it a reality.

So how was your Delta week? I’m sorry I had to leave you post-less on Friday, but I had just arrived bleary-eyed in Florida for the wedding of two good friends. I’ll have that trip report some time this week, but I thought I’d stick with the Delta theme for now. This time, it’s an excellent customer service story that earns Delta the coveted (by someone, probably) gold star.

The soon-to-be sister in law of the bride and groom (also a good friend of mine) currently lives in Paris. She’s not able to miss work, so to make the wedding, she had planned a VERY short trip. She bought a ticket on Delta to go Friday night on the late night Air France codeshare flight from Paris to New York/JFK, spend a few hours at a shady hotel nearby, and then hop the early morning Delta flight to Tampa arriving at noon. Then it would be an hour drive south to Longboat Key where she would be doing a reading in the wedding at 6p. She was turning right back around on Sunday to go back home.

Friday night, most of us, including her fiance, were enjoying dinner on the water when we received a message that she was back in Paris.

Back in Paris?

Oh yeah. After a long weather delay, they had departed only to find they had a non-functioning de-icer (that’s what the captain said, at least), and they would have to go back. They circled for awhile to shed some weight and finally landed after midnight. Now, our friend was stuck in a long line waiting for one of the two Air France employees on duty to help her.

Knowing she was on a Delta ticket, we sprung into action and started making calls. In the end, the Air France people did nothing. They put her on a flight that had her arriving into Tampa at 7p because everything else was “completely full.” She would miss the wedding and her reading. Fortunately, the Delta reservations folks were fantastic. The two people we spoke with on Friday night confirmed that there were better ways to get there and despite the claims of the Air France personnel, the earlier flights were not full. They booked her on a flight arriving Tampa at 444p, and all we could do was hope for the best.

On Saturday, she arrived early into Atlanta (her new connecting point), and shot us a text message. Realizing that this might make an earlier flight possible, we got on the phone with Delta again. For the third time in a row, I had help from an excellent Delta customer service rep. She confirmed that there was in fact an earlier Tampa flight, but it only had one seat left. She should run to the gate and see what she could do. She did mention that there was a flight to Sarasota that was wide open (and also much closer to the wedding location), so she could try for that one with no additional charge since the problems the night before were in no way our friend’s fault. The agent made a note in the reservation explaining the situation and encouraging the gate agents to put her on the plane to Sarasota.

Our friend sprinted through the airport and less than 45 minutes after her Paris flight landed, she arrived at the gate with only 5 minutes to spare before the flight to Sarasota departed. After a lot of typing, they shot out a boarding pass without asking any questions and put her on the plane as they shut the door. She arrived just before 3p at Sarasota airport as you can see on the right. This airport is awesome. While I waited to pick her up, I sat on some benches in the shade that they have just outside on the terminal on a small grassy hill. What a great place for spotters.

In the end, she made the wedding with the added bonus of having time to shower. (That was much appreciated by all.) Nice work, Delta. I think about how impossible this would have been on an airline like United. I can only imagine the torture that we would have faced speaking with inflexible and unhelpful reservation agents in India. It never would have happened.

I’m so conflicted right now. I think I’m going to give American both the Cranky Jackass and the Gold Star. First, let’s talk about how American earned their first Cranky Jackass award. (For those keeping count, United is in the lead with 2 while both JetBlue and the Brazilian Federal Police have 1 each.)

Effective yesterday, March 1, it’s going to cost you a lot more money to use your miles to upgrade if you want to go to Hawai’i or anywhere outside North America. If you’re trying to upgrade off any fare other than full fare (Y or B class), you’ll have to use 15,000 miles AND $150 to upgrade one way to Hawai’i and 25,000 miles AND $300 to go anywhere outside of North America (India is 40,000 miles). The mileage amounts haven’t changed, but previously no cash was required to go to Hawai’i and it was $250 to go outside North America. Remember, these are one way so it gets pricey quickly.

American says they’re doing this because they’d rather let people on heavily discounted fares upgrade for money instead of not at all, but this is a very high price to pay. So, Cranky Jackass to you.

But just as I was feeling my crankiest about these guys, they turn around and slightly redeem themselves.

Also beginning yesterday, coach customers will now be able to use the lavatory up at the front of the plane. That’s right, it’s not just for first class anymore. Even you, sitting in the back next to the engine on that MD80, can stroll on up to the front and park it in the formerly first class lav.

Don’t get too excited. They don’t have flowers or marble countertops. Nay, not even a bathroom attendant is there to spritz cologne on you, but it does mean shorter lines and that’s all that matters.

Many airlines continue to scold their coach customers when they try to go up front, saying that it’s a Federal regulation that prevents them from using the lav. That’s obviously not true.

In an unrelated welcome move, they’ve also added a new upgraded functionality on their website that allows easier searching for AAdvantage awards.

So, congratulations American for helping out the common folk . . . but you still suck for raising the cost of an upgrade.

Oh happy day for members of Alaska Airlines’ Mileage Plan. Now you can redeem your miles for one way awards for half the mileage of roundtrip awards. That is definitely a development worth of a gold star.

If you’ve never needed to book a one way award, you probably don’t realize that on most airlines you can’t do it. You actually have to book a roundtrip award and throw away the return if you want to fly one way. Seems ridiculous, no? Well it is. But now Alaska is allowing one way redemption and that’s great news. According to this FlyerTalk thread, it happened last week. Let’s hope others follow (but don’t count on it).